(Elnezest az esetleges kisbetukert, de az eredeti szoveg csupa
nagybetuvel volt irva, amit at kellett cserelnem.)
Buchwald Amy
*****************************************************************
date=2/16/96
type=correspondent report
number=2-192871
title=East Euro Stocks (s only)
byline=Barry Wood
dateline=Prague
content=
voiced at:
Intro: Eastern Europe's high-flying stock markets fell back
this past week, with Prague, Warsaw and Budapest all closing
lower. V-o-A's Barry Wood reports.
Text: Inflation figures for January came in higher than
expected in both Poland and the Czech Republic, and that turned
market sentiment mildly pessimistic.
The biggest fall however came in Hungary where the stock index
had been trading at record highs. The bux index lost five
percent this past week, closing at 21-hundred-11.
In Warsaw things were _not_ quite so bad. After closing Monday
at its highest level in nearly two years, the WIG index retreated
the remainder of the week, closing down 155 points at
ten-thousand-569. That was a loss of about one-and-one-half
percent on the week.
In Prague, the P-X 50 index lost less than two points, closing at
462.
The smaller exchanges were mixed. Bulgaria was up three percent,
Bratislava lost slightly, and Ljubljana gained about one percent.
(Signed)
neb/bdw/jwh/art
16-Feb-96 1:58 pm est (1858 utc)
nnnn
source: Voice of America

OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 34, 16 February 1996
HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER RECEIVED BY POPE. Gyula Horn on 15 February had
a private audience with John Paul II in the Vatican, international
agencies reported. The two men talked about an expected papal visit to
Hungary in June 1996, when Hungary celebrates the 1,100 anniversary of
its founding. They also discussed a possible concordat between Hungary
and the Roman Catholic Church. Horn the previous day met with outgoing
Italian Prime Minister Lamberto Dini for talks on Hungarian membership
in the EU. -- Jiri Pehe
ROMANIAN SENATE PASSES LAW ON POLITICAL PARTIES. The Romanian Senate on
15 February approved the draft law on political parties, Radio Bucharest
reported. Since the draft differs from one passed by the Chamber of
Deputies, a mediation commission will now attempt to bridge differences
between the two texts. The bill raises the minimum membership of
political party from 2,500 to 10,000 members. The Hungarian Democratic
Federation of Romania (UDMR) faction walked out in protest and did not
participate in the ballot. UDMR senator Gyorgy Frunda told the
parliament before the vote that the draft infringes on both the right to
free association and the international convention on the rights of
national minorities, which Romania has signed. The UDMR has said it will
appeal the bill at the Constitutional Court. -- Michael Shafir
[As of 12:00 CET]
Compiled by Jan Cleave

OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 35, 19 February 1996
HUNGARIAN FINANCE MINISTER RESIGNS. Lajos Bokros on 18 February tendered
his resignation after a tumultuous cabinet debate in which his proposal
to levy a new, social insurance tax was rejected, Hungarian media
reported the next day. Bokros, who has been under increasing attack
since the announcement of a radical stabilization program last March,
said the new tax was necessary to meet the IMF requirement that the 60
billion forint social insurance deficit be reduced by more than two-
thirds. In his resignation letter, he noted that without government
support, he could neither visualize nor guarantee the success and
implementation of public spending reform. Top government officials have
pledged to continue with the stabilization program, but the unexpected
resignation of the internationally respected finance minister may
jeopardize the country's prospects for OECD membership and for an
impending IMF loan. -- Zsofia Szilagyi
POLISH PRESIDENT IN HUNGARY. Aleksander Kwasniewski, on a two-day
unofficial visit to Hungary, stressed that Poland and Hungary are not
competing to gain admission into NATO and the EU, Hungarian media
reported on 19 February. He added that his visit to Budapest was of
symbolic significance and he praised developing relations between the
two countries, Kwasniewski met with Hungarian President Arpad Goncz, and
the two presidents told a joint news conference after their meeting that
Poland and Hungary regard each other as partners in their efforts to
join the EU and NATO. They also noted that "their strategic aims and
interests are similar". With regard to Russian fears about NATO's
eastward expansion, the Polish President suggested that a dialogue be
opened with Russia after the June Russian elections. -- Zsofia Szilagyi
Compiled by Jan Cleave